Delhi: basic needs fulfilled, graft and price rise worry Rohini

Ramesh Chandra Gupta, 43, a resident of Sector 7 in Rohini, thinks long and hard before he can come up with any problems in his constituency.

“Parking in the market area becomes a problem sometimes in the evening. The area is well developed and I don’t think we lack any basic necessities,” says the businessman.

Others agreed with him. “Parking is the main issue here as no commercial parking lots have been developed even though the population has increased by leaps and bounds. Otherwise, there’s nothing to complain about,” said Rakhi Batra, resident, Sector 18, Rohini.

The various sectors of Rohini are home to a large number of residential colonies and DDA flats. Wide, tree-lined roads lead to smaller pockets. Roads are well-maintained; public transport is adequate with the Metro acting as the lifeline of the area. According to residents, water supply to the area is regular and power outages rare.

This does not, however, mean that the residents cannot think of any issue troubling them. Price rise and corruption have emerged as their two biggest worries. “The price of basic commodities such as food and milk has gone up to such an extent in the past two years that managing household budget has become impossible. I have started to cut out the more expensive items from the family’s daily consumption. The MLA has done good work and these issues don’t come directly under him. The governments at the centre and the state need to rein in inflation,” said Rashmi Singh, a housewife who lives in Sector 19.

All-pervasive corruption is making a lot of people look at other options. “We have seen a lot of politicians come and go by. Our MLA has done a lot of work and people are happy with him but that does not change that fact that people are tired of the regular crop of politicians. A lot of us are looking for alternatives,” said Charanjeet Singh, who owns a shop in Sector 14.

It is only in a few slum colonies that one can perhaps hear some criticism of MLA Jai Bhagwan Aggarwal. “He has done a lot of work in the urban pockets but he has ignored the villages. Cleanliness and water-logging are two big issues, especially during this time. The number of dengue cases have risen sharply,” said a resident of a slum cluster in Badli Industrial Area.